What the jobs report reveals about US population

U.S. employers added 157,000 jobs in January, and hiring was much stronger at the end of 2012 than previously thought, providing reassurance that the job market held steady even as economic growth stalled.

The mostly encouraging jobs report included one negative sign: The unemployment rate rose to 7.9 percent from 7.8 percent in December. The rate is calculated from a survey of households, and more people in that survey said they were unemployed. The monthly job gains are derived from a separate survey of employers.

The job gains have affected various groups in different ways. Here are some details from the government's report: